JPH02261414A - Automatic bread making equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow baking of a good-quality bread by controlling a fermentation process based on the ratio of resistance change on the basis of the resistance value at the time when a given setup time in the beginning of kneading where a trace quantity of gas exists has passed. CONSTITUTION:When given materials of bread are put into a container 1 and a start switch of operation part is on, a control 25 drives a motor 11 and turns a blade 13 to begin a kneading process of bread materials. When a time T has passed after the kneading begins, the output V0' of a gas sensor 23 is detected, and the resistance value R0' that is a reference value is calculated based on it. When the kneading process is completed and rotation of the motor 11 is stopped, and a fermentation process is begun, the control 25 keeps the temperature in the container 1 at a given temperature to fermentate for a given time by energization control to a heater 3, then drives the motor 11 to degass twice for a given time, and the first fermentation and the second one are performed. Next, in molding fermentation, the control 25 detects the resistance value RH of a gas sensor calculated based on the output VH of a fermentation sensor at all time, and when the ratio RH/R0' to the reference value reaches to the set value, mold fermentation is completed and the last baking process is begun.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Purpose of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to an automatic bread maker.

(Prior Art) With the increase in bread consumption in recent years, various types of bread makers have become increasingly popular in the market.

In a bread maker, bread is produced by kneading the ingredients such as flour, yeast, a small amount of butter, sugar, etc. with water, performing a primary fermentation, degassing, and then performing a secondary fermentation.
The bread is then degassed, molded and fermented, and then baked to finish, which is a conventional bread manufacturing process.

By the way, in the bread manufacturing process, the fermentation process mainly gives the bread an appropriate amount of rise, and improves the texture and taste of the bread.
This is an important process that also affects flavor etc. Therefore, in the fermentation process, the fermentation speed is affected by seasonal and regional differences in temperature and humidity, initial material temperature, fermentation power of yeast, type of materials, and differences in composition, so it is important to develop a process that takes these factors into account. is necessary.

Therefore, an automatic bread maker has been invented that has a gas detection means for detecting the amount of gas generated from bread ingredients during fermentation, determines the fermentation state based on the detected amount of gas, and controls the fermentation process. . In this case, it is conceivable to use a semiconductor gas sensor or the like that is highly sensitive to ethanol or the like as the gas detection means. In a semiconductor gas sensor, the resistance value changes depending on the presence of gas, and when the humidity is constant, the ratio of the resistance value in the gas to the resistance value in air (air without gas) has a correlation with the gas concentration. Therefore, by determining the change ratio of the resistance value to the resistance value in the air as ΔIII, the concentration of the gas can be calculated.

At this time, the reason why the gas concentration is not judged only by the absolute value of the resistance value in the gas is that the absolute value of the resistance value of the semiconductor gas sensor is
This is because it is difficult to accurately judge the gas concentration using only the absolute value because of changes over time and variations in the sensor itself that occur during the manufacturing process.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) However, the resistance value of the semiconductor gas sensor in air is
While it is greatly affected by humidity, the resistance value in the gas is not so affected, so it was not possible to accurately detect the gas concentration under conditions of different humidity, and it was not possible to properly control the fermentation process.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and its purpose is to provide an automatic bread maker that appropriately controls the fermentation process using a gas sensor and makes it possible to make good bread even when the surrounding humidity changes. Our goal is to provide the following.

[Structure of the Invention (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an automatic bread maker that automatically manufactures bread from bread ingredients through at least the steps of kneading and fermentation. A gas sensor detects the concentration of gas generated from the bread material and converts it into an electrical output signal, and the electrical output signal of the gas sensor is used as a reference when a certain set time has elapsed from the start of kneading the bread material. The gist of the present invention is to include a calculation means for calculating a ratio between the kneading process and the electrical output signal sequentially obtained from the start of kneading, and a control means for controlling the fermentation process based on the ratio calculated by the calculation means.

(Function) In the above configuration, we focused on the fact that the resistance value in the gas of the gas sensor is less affected by humidity than the resistance value in air. By controlling the fermentation process based on the ratio of resistance change (change in electrical output signal) with respect to the resistance value at the time, it becomes possible to make good bread.

(Example) Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail using the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a structural cross section of an automatic bread maker according to an embodiment of the present invention. Its feature is that during the fermentation process, which is an important step in bread manufacturing, the concentration of gases such as ethanol gas generated by yeast from bread dough increases in the oven over time, as shown in Figure 3. The completion of fermentation is determined by detecting the ratio of change in the resistance value of the gas sensor that corresponds to an appropriate fermentation state.At this time, the reference value for the ratio of change is set based on a set time period that has elapsed since the start of kneading. This is the resistance value of the subsequent gas sensor.

In FIG. 1, l is a container into which various ingredients for making bread are put and bread is made through predetermined steps described later. It is fixedly installed on a support stand 7 provided at the bottom of the tank 5. A blade 13 is provided at the bottom of the container 1 and rotated via a transmission mechanism 14 and a coupling device 16 as a motor 11 installed at the bottom of the main body 9 is driven to stir the material. Reference numeral 27 denotes temperature detection means consisting of a thermistor for detecting the temperature inside the container 1, and the detection result is output to the control device 25.

On the other hand, there is M17 on the top of the main body 9, and the inside of the lid 1
A gas sensor 23 is attached to 9, and the inside of the lid 1
The gas in the heating tank 5 flows into the hole 9 through the hole 21. The output signal obtained by the gas sensor 23 is transmitted to a control device 25 serving as calculation means and control means, and after performing calculations to be described later, controls the motor 11 and the heater 3.

Furthermore, a circulation heater section 41 is provided on the upper outer wall of the heating tank 5 . A fan heater 43 is provided in the circulation heater section 41.
, a fan 45 and a fan motor 47,
During operation, a heat circulation path from the air outlet 49 formed in the heating tank 5 to the suction port 51 is formed in the heating tank 5.

FIG. 2 shows the connection relationship of the gas sensor 23, thermistor 27, heater 3, motor 11, etc. to the microcomputer 63 constituting the control device 25. A detection signal from the gas sensor 23 is voltage-divided by a resistor 61, amplified by an amplifier 60, and input to an A/DI board of a microcomputer 63. The detection signal of the thermistor 27 is voltage-divided with a resistor 62 and sent to a microcomputer 63.
The signal is input to the A/D2 port. The heater 3 is energized by a control signal from the microcomputer boat 1 which turns on the triac 65 via the resistor 64. In addition, the motor 11 receives the control signal from the boat 2 of the microcomputer 63 through the resistor 6.
By turning on the triac 67 via the triac 6, power is supplied and the motor rotates.

The fermentation rate of bread dough varies depending on bread-making conditions such as the amount of yeast and temperature, and the concentration of gases such as ethanol generated from bread dough changes accordingly. This is shown in Figure 3, where A and B have the highest fermentation speed.
, C, the time to reach the gas concentration DH corresponding to an appropriate fermentation state is TA, TB, TO, and by moving to the baking process at this point, the finished product will change even if the fermentation speed is different. Can make homogeneous bread. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately detect DH using the gas sensor 23.

The gas sensor 23 may be a semiconductor type gas sensor whose resistance value changes depending on the gas concentration.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the characteristics of a semiconductor type gas sensor. As shown in the figure, the sensor resistance value decreases as the gas concentration increases. However, the absolute value of this sensor resistance value changes over time, and there are also variations in the gas sensor itself that occur during the manufacturing process, so it is difficult to detect the gas concentration using this absolute value. Resistance value Ro
The gas concentration is determined by the change ratio R/Ro of the resistance value in the gas. However, as shown in FIG. 5, gas sensors that are highly sensitive to ethanol gas generated during fermentation are susceptible to humidity in air, making it difficult to accurately detect gas concentrations. In the same figure, e
indicates the humidity dependence of the sensor resistance value in air (atmosphere), f in ethanol gas of 200 ppm, g in 4001)0 m, and h in 11000 ppm, respectively. However, as can be seen from the characteristics shown in FIG. 5, the presence of ethanol gas reduces the influence of humidity on the sensor resistance value. Therefore, the change ratio R/ with the resistance value RO when gas is present as the reference value
When Ro' is set, the influence of humidity is small and a more accurate gas concentration can be detected.

Figure 6 shows the bread dough of B in Figure 3 at a humidity of 30% in the air.
% (Characteristic line C), 50% (Characteristic line B), and 80% (Characteristic line C).

At the start of kneading, there is no gas and the resistance value is Ra.
There is a large variation in oSRbOSRe□, but after time T has passed, the resistance values are RaT and RbT.

RcT, and the variation becomes ≦J\smaller. Therefore, if the reference value is a resistance value detected after a certain period of time T has elapsed, rather than at the start of kneading, the variation due to humidity is smaller. Further, it is necessary that the time T is a point in time when gas is present to some extent and the difference in gas concentration depending on the fermentation rate of the bread dough is not yet large. From FIG. 3, at the end of kneading, there is already a difference in gas concentration between A, B, and C.

Therefore, it is desirable that the time T be several minutes after the start, during kneading.

FIG. 7 shows changes in gas concentration depending on the mixing state of materials such as powder and water. In the figure, E and F indicate that the initial gas concentration changes depending on the mixing state of powder and water. From this figure, it seems that the timing T of the gas concentration Do at which the reference value is detected is suitable from the time when the fan 45 is turned on 2 to 3 minutes after the start of "1 knead" to before the start of the screw stroke. Immediately after the start of kneading, the gas sensor value is affected not only by the humidity but also by the way in which ingredients such as flour and water are added (mixed), so it is also affected by the values from the time the kneading begins until the fan 45 enters. However, when the fan 45 is turned on, the air inside the main body is stirred, so the gas generated from the dough is diluted and the gas concentration decreases. Furthermore, in characteristic F, since the amount of gas generated from the dough is very small for "one knead", the difference in gas concentration due to the difference in the fermentation rate of the dough itself is small and can be ignored. Therefore, in "1 rice", the characteristic E,
At F, the amount of gas generated from the dough is smaller than the amount of air in the refrigerator, so the rate of change in gas concentration at timing T is small. The gas concentration DO at this time is taken as a reference value.

Furthermore, when the dough enters the fermentation stage and the second fermentation stage, gas generation from the dough becomes large, and the rate of change in gas concentration is approximately the same as in the first fermentation. This is Wakashi and “2 Gone J is already 1
This shows that gas generation is occurring to the same extent as in the next fermentation process. Therefore, the gas concentration in the "Nekashi" and "2-kone" is affected by the difference in the fermentation speed of the dough in the same way as in the fermentation process, so the reference value of the gas concentration Do cannot be detected.

It is considered that the gas concentration Do, whose reference value is detected by these, is preferably detected at the timing as described above.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained using FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the output voltage of the gas sensor 23 and the operation of the heater 3 and motor 11 as the bread manufacturing process progresses. In the figure, the detection output refers to the resistance change of the gas sensor 23 as a voltage output. This is what I took out. Also,
FIG. 9 is an operation flowchart of the microcomputer 63. Note that each step in FIG. 9 will be simply referred to as a step below.

First, at the start of bread making, when a predetermined bread ingredient is put into the container 1 and a predetermined start switch of the operation section (not shown) is operated, the control device 25 transfers the bread ingredient to the motor 11. The kneading process is started by rotating the blades 13 by driving the kneading process (step 71). After starting kneading, time T (
(Here, it is assumed to be 5 minutes) When the gas sensor output V
0 is detected, and a resistance value RO' which becomes a reference value is calculated from this (steps 72 and 73). When the kneading process is completed, the rotation of the motor 11 is stopped (steps 74 and 75), and the fermentation process begins. The controller 25 controls the power supply to the heater 3 to keep the inside of the container 1 at a predetermined fermentation temperature (for example, 28°C) and cover it for a predetermined time (steps 76 to 7), and then finely textures the bread and improves its texture. In order to improve the
The process of degassing for a predetermined time by driving is performed twice, and primary fermentation and secondary fermentation are performed respectively.

Note that the fermentation time and degassing time in the primary fermentation and the secondary fermentation do not necessarily have to be the same.

Next, when the forming fermentation starts, the control device 25 constantly detects the gas sensor resistance value RH calculated from the output JVH of the fermentation sensor (step 80), and the ratio RH/R to the reference value.
When o' reaches the set value (Yes in step 81), the molding fermentation is completed and the process moves to the final baking step (step 82).

Since the fermentation state of the dough can be determined from the value of the ratio RH/Ro' obtained sequentially in this manner, fermentation control can be performed using this value. In the baking process after molding and fermentation, the control device 25 maintains and controls the temperature of the heater 3 to a predetermined baking temperature (for example, 160° C.) that is higher than that in the fermentation process. Then, after baking for about 55 minutes, for example, the baking process is finished to make good bread (step 8).
'3.84).

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the present invention, by focusing on the fact that the resistance value in the gas of the gas sensor is less affected by humidity than the resistance value in the air, the gas at the beginning of kneading is Since the fermentation process is controlled based on the resistance value after a certain set time has elapsed, that is, the ratio of the change in the electrical output signal with respect to the electrical output signal, the difference in ambient humidity can be controlled. Nevertheless, the fermentation process can be appropriately controlled, thereby making it possible to make good bread.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 9 show an embodiment of the automatic bread maker according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view, and FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing the control circuit system. Figure 3 is a diagram showing changes in the concentration of gases such as ethanol generated from bread dough, Figure 4 is a characteristic diagram showing the dependence of gas sensor resistance on ethanol gas concentration, and Figure 5 is a diagram showing the humidity dependence of gas sensor resistance. Characteristic diagram, Figure 6 is a characteristic diagram showing changes in gas sensor resistance value with respect to process time when ambient humidity is different, Figure 7
The figure is a characteristic diagram showing the change in gas concentration with respect to process time when the mixing state of bread ingredients is different, and Figure 8 is a diagram for explaining the output of the gas sensor and the operation of the heater, motor, etc. as the manufacturing process progresses. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation. 1. Container into which bread ingredients are put, 3. Heater, 5. Heating tank, 11. Motor, 23. Gas sensor, 25. Control device serving as calculation means and control means, 45. Fan. /l'i Japanese Patent Attorney Hidekazu Miyoshi 4th Illustration [(R,H,'/,) 1o. Figure 5

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] An automatic bread maker that automatically manufactures bread from bread ingredients through at least the steps of kneading and fermentation, which detects the concentration of gas generated from the bread ingredients and converts it into an electrical output signal. calculation means for calculating the ratio between the gas sensor used to knead the bread ingredients and the electrical output signal sequentially obtained from the start of kneading based on the electrical output signal of the gas sensor at the time when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of kneading the bread ingredients; and a control means for controlling the fermentation process based on the ratio calculated by the calculation means.